LEON VALLEY, Texas – The first day of early voting in Bexar County drew a significant turnout, with about 30,000 voters casting their ballots by 3 p.m. on Tuesday. However, some voters at the Leon Valley Conference Center experienced delays of up to two hours due to a scanner malfunction that hindered the voting process.
According to several individuals at the polling location, the issue arose when the ballot scanner failed to read ballots correctly. “They’re like, ‘Hey, the ballot box actually malfunctioned,’” reported a voter named Flores. The situation worsened as long lines formed, with some voters waiting 30 to 45 minutes for the situation to be resolved.
Bexar County Elections Administrator Michele Carew provided insight into the malfunction, noting that while the scanner at the Leon Valley Conference Center can handle up to 2,000 votes, it became jammed after processing approximately 1,200 ballots. “It wasn’t too full, but we are noticing with our new scanners that the ballots, when they’re falling into the box, are not falling the way we’d like them to,” she explained.
To prevent future issues, Carew stated that technicians would be stationed at polling locations, and emergency bins are available should scanners fail to accept ballots. “Our judges have the process to open those and put those (ballots) in there, and then those ballots will be counted here, at headquarters,” she clarified.
Despite the delays, many voters expressed patience and appreciation for the election workers. Voter Cathy Hazzard observed that most people chose to wait for the scanner to be fixed rather than use the emergency bins. “I noticed that lots of people said, ‘I will wait and put it in myself,’ instead of saying, ‘leave it here and somebody else can put it in,’” she remarked.
Some voters, however, found the lines challenging, with one individual who arrived during her lunch break planning to return after work. Nonetheless, many participants acknowledged the hard work of the election staff, with voter Sheldon stating, “They can’t control how many people turn out. So they’re doing their job.”
This year’s early voting saw an influx of about 10,000 more voters compared to the first day of early voting in the 2022 midterm election, highlighting a growing civic engagement within the community. To check estimated wait times at Bexar County polling locations, click here.
